The three-day workshop is sponsored by KACST in cooperation with the JCCP Japan Cooperation Center, Petroleum (JCCP). KACST Vice President Prince Turki Bin Saud Al-Saud and Japanese Ambassador Shigeru Endo were also present together with senior KACST and JCCP officials and international experts on oil, water and gas.
In his opening remarks, Prince Turki welcomed the guests and enumerated the studies conducted using satellites in Qassim in cooperation with Saudi Aramco officials and experts from different countries to detect deposits of oil and water in the region.
The prince hoped the workshop would highlight the most recent research, developments, innovations and applications of the Earth’s surface and subsurface 4D monitoring, both within the Kingdom and internationally. “The key to increasing recoverable reserves is research and development. Many breakthroughs and thousands of advances in exploration and production have increased oil and gas recovery levels around the world.”
He explained the various modes of KACST's efforts in discovering sub-surface resources by using state-of-the art technology.
Al-Suwaiyel said: “Saudi Arabia has embarked upon an ambitious program to transform itself into an internationally competitive, knowledge-based economy, by advancing science, technology and innovation within the Kingdom.”
“The workshop is part of KACST’s program to implement the Kingdom’s national science, technology and innovation plan,” Al-Suwaiyel said.
Although it is recognized that 4D monitoring of surface and subsurface changes in oil and gas fields, water reservoirs, water storage with injected CO2, and production facilities of natural resources are strongly required, there is no solid technology to perform such tasks. “The technologies needed for this are seismic methods, EM methods, gravity, IN-SAR, and geodetic methods.”
Highlighting the importance of the workshop, Endo explained how natural events led to a change in climate in Japan. He recalled that cooperation between JCCP and KACST started in 2010 to discover natural resources hidden under the surface.
Morihiro Yoshida, managing director of Japan Cooperation Center, Petroleum (JCCP), said his country depends on imports for almost all of its oil supplies, which accounts for half of its primary energy sources. “Japan gives high national priority to assuring stable supplies of oil by maintaining relationships of trust and friendship with the oil-producing countries. Particularly in a world subject to turbulent changes, Japan finds it crucial to keep close ties and promote mutual understanding with other countries, especially the oil-producing countries.”
“JCCP was founded in November 1981 to promote technical cooperation and personnel exchanges with the oil-producing countries in the downstream sectors of the oil industry. Its major activities include programs to accept overseas technical and administrative staff for training, to dispatch Japanese experts abroad, to sponsor international conferences and seminars and to conduct studies and research. JCCP has established a long track record in these endeavors since its founding,” he said.
